For the love of walking
Did you know that the whole of May is National Walking Month?
When I started this newsletter my tagline was ‘Writing about Gloucestershire as well as my personal interests’ - well now is the time to start sharing these personal interests I have.
I describe my Substack as a newsletter but this is also a blog at the same time. Important featured pieces I write on Gloucestershire remain firmly in the pipeline and as I mentioned previously I do now have an employed role at the Hereford Times, a job I am enjoying immensely.
It is worth my time to step away from intense journalism and let my words flow, which is why writing about my personal interests matter a great deal to me.
To kick off this different side to my platform, let me share that walking is one of my top personal interests. The whole of May is National Walking Month, an ideal time to take part in a low-intensity exercise, put my mental wellbeing first and gaze upon some majestic countryside views.
Placing the celebratory month in May is also ideal with two bank holiday weekends at both ends - a perfect opportunity to get outside.
Walking is a relaxing activity for me where I do take an interest in the landscapes, a space to breath and you cannot beat a footpath just waiting to be explored.
For my Gloucestershire readers, I think you can agree that we are incredibly lucky to live in a stunning county.
The variety of landscapes is clear to see with the Cotswolds, the Severn winding its way out to the Bristol Channel, and the Forest of Dean is tranquil for a woodland walk.
Expect plenty of pieces about walks I do in Gloucestershire but because I do have scope to explore what is a personal interest of mine, some pieces sent to your inbox will involve my walks further afield.
I can actually share a recent piece in the Hereford Times, where I wrote why the Brockhampton Estate is a good walk to do during any season. A landscape set in the top right-hand corner of Herefordshire and owned by the National Trust, I did the walk in early spring but a combination of woodland and parkland makes it a pleasant day out.
To start my own personal interest in walking and for the benefit of my Gloucestershire readers first, here are five walks in the county you might have done before or have maybe yet to experience.
Hailes Abbey and Cromwells Seat
I take an interest in history so how about some remnents of the Tudor past with this walk near Winchcombe.
Hailes Abbey is the place to start, an abbey that fell victim to King Henry VIII’s policy to force the Church to give up its wealth, otherwise known as the Dissolution of the Monastries.
The walk takes in a decent section of the Cotswold Way between Hailes and Wood Stanway, where you will come across a stone monument known as Cromwells Seat. It is said that Thomas Cromwell, the King’s chief minister and powerful proponent of the English Reformation, surveyed the destruction of the monastry from this vantage point.
This is a peaceful walk right on the edge of the Cotswolds.
May Hill
A few boggy patches here and there, lots of bracken and gorse, wide expanses of grassland and a clump of pine trees - May Hill is a very distinctive summit for miles around.
1887 was the year the trees were planted, an occasion to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria.
The walk to the top is gradual and easily done. If you then walk further along the Gloucestershire Way you will find yourself in May Mill Village before a trip to the Glasshouse Inn.
Newent Woods is also a peaceful woodland to explore further after taking in the 296 metre high scenery. Expansive views of the Severn Vale, Forest of Dean and into Wales - May Hill is an icon.
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
Once the broadest and deepest canal in the world, any walk along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal takes in the visual appeal of gleaming water and impressive engineering.
A walk at Saul Junction and you’ll see huge swing-bridges, bridge-keepers’ houses, beautiful viewpoints such as Purton Ships Graveyard right beside the Severn estuary and the best part of any canal walk is the passing greeting you’ll say to those on a boat on the move.
A stretch that is worth a walk is from Gloucester, a city that proudly has a status of being the most inland port in the country. A route along the banks of the Severn from Castlemeads before arriving at Sims Swing Bridge means you can then circle your way along the canal back to Gloucester Docks.
The Tyndale Monument
If a scenic view from the Cotswolds is what you’re after than there are plenty to choose from but how about one a little off the beaten track?
The Tyndale Monument above Wotton-Under-Edge is very scenic for walkers where there are fantastic views of the Severn estuary and on a clear day Bristol too.
Dedicated to William Tyndale, the first man to translate The Bible into English, the walk from Wotton town centre takes in a stretch of the Cotswold Way, including Wotton Hill.
What also makes this walk impressive is you can actually climb the monument. A spiral staircase inside the tower to the very top gives you a unique view from the Cotswold edge.
Cleeve Common
The highest point in the Cotswolds at 329 metres, Cleeve Hill has views for miles around.
Open hilltops, streams and woodland sections does mean that the wider Cleeve Common is one of the country’s most precious habitats involving limestone grassland, wildflowers, and butterflies will roam around the warmer months.
The largest common in the Cotswolds, we’re lucky to have a vast vantage point and the view towards the Malvern Hills is another iconic view. Windswept trees also make this landscape spectacular including ‘The Single Beech’, a lonely beech tree that also has a fact for you - also the highest in the Cotswolds.
From all angles along the escarpment, to the summit and down the back of the common to find the source of the River Isbourne - Cleeve Hill remains a jewel in Gloucestershire’s crown.
Can highly recommend some of the Dymock walks - the poets paths are a lovely wander. May hill is on my list to do!
Gloucester the most inland of UK ports? I've heard it before, but what about Stourport?